My word! Sue Simmons is back on WNBC after grade-F slip
By Richard Huff
NY DAILY NEWS TV EDITOR
Wednesday, May 14th 2008, 8:45 AM
Sue Simmons
Veteran WNBC/Ch. 4 anchor Sue Simmons was back on the air Tuesday, a day after dropping an F-bomb on live TV.
The decision to keep her on by Ch. 4 management after the gaffe left some industry insiders mulling Simmons' future.
"She should be suspended for some period of time," said one local executive, who declined to be named.
Another called the mishap "inexcusable" for someone of Simmons' experience.
Simmons, seated next to Chuck Scarborough, dropped the offensive word Monday during a live news tease at about 10:30 p.m. Though she was off camera as a video clip appeared, she was heard saying, "What the f- are you doing?"
She apologized on the 11 p.m. news, saying she was "truly sorry."
(SEE the incident & apology HERE!)
Some observers, many of whom regularly use the same word in conversation, speculated that Simmons may have thought the segment was being taped and the word could later be deleted.
Ch. 4 officials would not say whether she was reprimanded for the slip.
News director Vicki Burns canceled a planned trip to the station's New Jersey bureau to deal with the fallout, sources indicated.
"We do not comment on personnel issues," a station spokeswoman said Tuesday.
But Simmons' mistake was the talk at Ch. 4, in newsrooms around town and at the Daily News Web site, where nearly 150 people posted mixed reactions about the incident and what should happen to the anchorwoman.
In 2005, then WCBS/Ch. 2 reporter Arthur Chi'en (now at Ch. 11) was fired after spouting the F-word when a heckler shouted behind him during a live report. Many believed Ch. 2's reaction was too severe, although it came after Janet Jackson's Super Bowl nipple flash, which made everyone fearful of FCC fines.
For Simmons, the on-air flub couldn't come at a worse time.
There is speculation that Ch. 4's new management is considering upending the anchor teams now in place. One trend, both locally and around the country, is to move away from high-priced anchors - Simmons and Scarborough are among the best-paid in the country - as station executives look to cut budgets.
As previously reported, Lynda Baquero is expected to come off the station's 6 p.m. newscast at the end of the month. The New York Chapter of the National Hispanic Media Coalition has sent a letter to Jeff Zucker, chairman of parent company NBC Universal, seeking to keep Baquero on the air.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday Ch. 4's legal eagles were trying to stop the spread of a clip of Simmons' expletive, citing copyright infringement.
By Richard Huff
NY DAILY NEWS TV EDITOR
Wednesday, May 14th 2008, 8:45 AM
Sue Simmons
Veteran WNBC/Ch. 4 anchor Sue Simmons was back on the air Tuesday, a day after dropping an F-bomb on live TV.
The decision to keep her on by Ch. 4 management after the gaffe left some industry insiders mulling Simmons' future.
"She should be suspended for some period of time," said one local executive, who declined to be named.
Another called the mishap "inexcusable" for someone of Simmons' experience.
Simmons, seated next to Chuck Scarborough, dropped the offensive word Monday during a live news tease at about 10:30 p.m. Though she was off camera as a video clip appeared, she was heard saying, "What the f- are you doing?"
She apologized on the 11 p.m. news, saying she was "truly sorry."
(SEE the incident & apology HERE!)
Some observers, many of whom regularly use the same word in conversation, speculated that Simmons may have thought the segment was being taped and the word could later be deleted.
Ch. 4 officials would not say whether she was reprimanded for the slip.
News director Vicki Burns canceled a planned trip to the station's New Jersey bureau to deal with the fallout, sources indicated.
"We do not comment on personnel issues," a station spokeswoman said Tuesday.
But Simmons' mistake was the talk at Ch. 4, in newsrooms around town and at the Daily News Web site, where nearly 150 people posted mixed reactions about the incident and what should happen to the anchorwoman.
In 2005, then WCBS/Ch. 2 reporter Arthur Chi'en (now at Ch. 11) was fired after spouting the F-word when a heckler shouted behind him during a live report. Many believed Ch. 2's reaction was too severe, although it came after Janet Jackson's Super Bowl nipple flash, which made everyone fearful of FCC fines.
For Simmons, the on-air flub couldn't come at a worse time.
There is speculation that Ch. 4's new management is considering upending the anchor teams now in place. One trend, both locally and around the country, is to move away from high-priced anchors - Simmons and Scarborough are among the best-paid in the country - as station executives look to cut budgets.
As previously reported, Lynda Baquero is expected to come off the station's 6 p.m. newscast at the end of the month. The New York Chapter of the National Hispanic Media Coalition has sent a letter to Jeff Zucker, chairman of parent company NBC Universal, seeking to keep Baquero on the air.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday Ch. 4's legal eagles were trying to stop the spread of a clip of Simmons' expletive, citing copyright infringement.